Back in Ethiopia!

I’m back in Ethiopia! It’s fantastic to return this fall with a full agenda and two of our close AGCI advocates, Kerri and Erica. I’m so blessed to be sharing this adventure with these amazing ladies.

After long hours of travel on Friday and Saturday, we finally arrived in Addis Ababa and…..all our bags did too. It was a mission trip miracle! 🙂 Sunday we spent visiting Hannah’s Hope and making a plan for the murals we’d be painting. It’s a little like coming home to see the staff and children again. I feel like I would happily make the long trek to Ethiopia just to see those kids….especially Mikiyas.

On Monday we started to transform the playroom at the new Hannah’s Hope with murals of tall trees and some expertly painted Giraffes from Kerri. The room turned out great! From there we transformed a smaller bedroom with bright flowers scattered on the walls. Lots of laughs today along with some awesome painting tunes provided by Was including 90’s classics, old country classics and reggae. He just never disappoints. 🙂

So why murals? Many people have wondered why we go to such great lengths to paint pictures on the walls at Hannah’s Hope. Although it may seem like a small outward change, we believe that a warm, friendly and engaging environment is critical for children coming from crisis and hardship.

For many children, their journey to Hannah’s Hope was a very difficult one. Hannah’s Hope truly sets the tone for healing the minute a child enters the gates by offering a bright environment that feels fun and safe. Beyond this, we have an incredible staff of special mothers, drivers and office workers who show children from day one what security and love really means. I was proud of that especially today and proud that Hannah’s Hope continues to be such a powerful place of healing for so many orphaned children. We are humbled to be a small part of that process.

Tomorrow we’ll be finishing up our transformation of Hannah’s Hope and then it’s off to Gambella. Stay tuned!